The original Life During War Crimes is now out of print, so it’s convenient that (Dove) Yellow Swans and Release the Bats have provided listeners with a sequel, this time full of largely unreleased material (a single track appeared previously on a Fuck It tapes release). The first of the series was a laudable effort, and, overall, a good record, but wasn’t often enveloping; like a moviegoer unable to immerse themselves in a film and forget their dark, dank surroundings, the listener was never quite swallowed up by Yellow Swans’ cacophony, and despite the density of the album’s sound, the disc never gelled as it could have, and, in the end, was unfortunately heavy-handed at many points during its duration.
Life During War Crimes #2 isn’t a panacea for all that ails its predecessor, but the disc goes far in correcting its elder’s errors. Recorded live on a 2006 European tour, the album begins with an unrepentantly heavy din, and relents only rarely as the disc progresses. Pete Swanson and Gabriel Saloman dive straight into the fog, the disc’s opening track a live burial by sound, underlying guitar manipulation crushed by the oppressive bulk of the electronics. As the album progresses, it’s not always so heavily opaque, but Yellow Swans avoid many of the pitfalls that beset their last Release the Bats release by simplifying their presentation, and letting the atmosphere of the music do the work. The clatter still exists, but its gelled into a larger whole, individual parts combining to create an ungodly din. It’s obvious, at least from the sample presented in this series, that Yellow Swans live in 06 trump their shows from two years previous, they’re more streamlined, and simply more impressive.
There’s a plethora of Yellow Swans releases out there, far too many for this writer to be much of an expert. That said, however, Life During War Crimes #2 stands as one of the best in the selections that I’ve heard, and very well may represent a high point in the larger Yellow Swans discography. If Release the Bats has another Life During War Crimes disc up their Swedish sleeves, let’s hope it continues the series’ upward trajectory. If so, it’s bound to be a killer.
